Recipe Ingredients
- 4 oz. diced pancetta (see Cooking Tips)
- Tbsp. Land O'Lakes Butter
- 1 lb. baby kale leaves, washed
- 2/3 cup Florida's Natural Orange juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe Directions
Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add the pancetta. Sauté until crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the pancetta to a paper-towel lined plate and discard the fat in the pan.
Return the pot to the stove over medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted add the kale to the pot, pour in the orange juice, season with salt and pepper (go lightly on the salt because the pancetta is salty) and stir occasionally until the kale is wilted, about 4 minutes.
Stir in about half the pancetta. Remove the kale and pancetta with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving bowl, leaving the remaining orange juice in the pot.
Allow it to simmer for another 4 minutes or so until it is reduced to about half. Pour the juice over the kale and sprinkle with the remaining pancetta. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Cooking Tips:
- Pancetta is a cousin of bacon, but instead of being smoked it is unsmoked pork belly that is cured in salt and various spices and then dried for a few months. It's sometimes available in rolled form or as slabs, or diced. Check out this video to hear more about how to use cooked pancetta in this recipe.
- If you want a bit more spice, add a serious pinch of red pepper flakes to the kale when you sauté it.
- This recipes doubles easily for a crowd. Use a very large pot, or add the kale in batches as it begins to wilt and room is available in the pot.
